Terry reveals he will leave Chelsea in the summer

John Terry has revealed he will not be offered the chance to extend his playing career with Chelsea when his contract expires.

The Stamford Bridge legend has spent his entire career at the club, aside from a brief loan spell at Nottingham Forest in 2000. He has established himself as one of the best players to have worn the blue shirt, and has won four Premier League titles, five FA Cups and three League Cups, as well as a UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League although he was absent in the final of both.

Terry was handed a new one-year contract by Jose Mourinho last season, when he played in every one of their 38 matches en route to winning a first league title since 2010. And whilst he has struggled to live up to these standards this time round, the same could be said of the majority of his team-mates as the capital club lurk in the bottom half of the table and well off the pace for a top-four spot.

This resulted in the popular Mourinho being sacked in December, when Guus Hiddink was brought in for a second interim spell. Amidst this chaos it was perhaps overlooked that Terry was just months away from becoming a free agent, but the 35-year-old has now revealed he expects to leave the club in the summer – unless the incoming permanent manager wants to offer him a fresh deal.

“It’s not going to be a fairytale ending, I’m not going to retire at Chelsea,” Terry said following the 5-1 FA Cup fourth round win at MK Dons. “I was in last week before the Arsenal game and it’s not going to be extended. They said that when the new manager comes in, things might change, but it’s a ‘no’ at the minute. I needed to know now, like I have done every January.

“Sometimes it takes a couple of months to get done. Unfortunately it was a ‘no’. I’m going to be playing out my career elsewhere, which it took me a couple of days to get over. But, like I say, I knew before the Arsenal game and my performance isn’t going to change: the way I train, what I give for the club. I want to give everything and finish on a high, on 100% good terms with the club.”

Terry was heavily linked with a move to Manchester City some time ago, but he will not consider joining a rival club in England when he decides his next move. Instead, he is expected to move to either China, or the United States where both Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard now ply their trade, as well as Steven Gerrard. However, he also revealed that he could return to Chelsea in the future.

“We spoke about my legacy and coming back to the club when I finish, but the most important thing now is to get us up the league,” he said. “It’s my last run in the FA Cup so I want to make it a good one. It’s a big season for me and I want to push on – not just in this competition but in the Premier League as well. Mentally I’ve kind of accepted it. We just have to move on and climb the table.”